Banteay Chmar starting to see tourists again

A feature on the massive temple of Banteay Chmar in Banteay Meanchay province, not far from the Thai-Cambodian border. The site is starting to see visitors again, but it’s sculptures have been looted – including a pair that’s said to be in the garden of a Thai politician!

Another Great Cambodian Temple Stirs To Life
AP, via the Huffington Post, 03 Jan 2012

It’s still entwined in mystery and jungle vines, but one of Cambodia’s grandest monuments is slowly awakening after eight centuries of isolated slumber, having attracted a crack archaeological team and a trickle of tourists.

“It takes awhile to unfold this temple â€“ and everywhere there are enticements,” says John Sanday, the team leader, as he navigates through tangled undergrowth, past dramatic towers and bas-reliefs and into dark chambers of the haunting monastic complex of Banteay Chhmar.

What drove Jayavarman VII, regarded as the greatest king of the Angkorian Empire, to erect this vast Buddhist temple about 105 miles (170 kilometers) from his capital in Angkor and in one of the most desolate and driest places in Cambodia remains one of its many unsolved riddles.